Hello and welcome to IELTS Daily.
My name is Lara Ryan and today we're looking at a practice IELTS speaking test with Ami from Japan.
So if you're not familiar with the test, you will get to learn what to expect.
And also because I'm an IELTS expert and a previous IELTS examiner, I will be giving you some insight into what the examiner is looking for and what the examiner will notice when deciding on what scores to give.
Also, I have another channel called Complete Test Success, so if you need more support with the IELTS test, make sure to check out my channel as well.
Hello and welcome to this practice exam conducted by IELTS Daily.
My name is David and I'm your practice speaking examiner.
The questions in this test are designed to simulate the IELTS speaking test.
So let's begin.
What's your first name, please?
My name is Ami.
At the beginning of the IELTS test, you usually need to provide some identification, like the passport.
But as this is a practice test, there's no need for that today.
Are you ready to begin?
Yes, I'm ready.
Great.
All right, well, let's talk about art.
Art.
Are you good at drawing?
Yes, maybe.
Yes, I'm good at drawing.
Normally, I'm drawing by illustrator, my computer, drawing like many colors or characters.
Yes.
Okay, so the first thing I notice is that Ami's first language, being Japanese, is definitely affecting her pronunciation.
So she's confusing the L sound and the R sound.
So instead of saying nor-ma-lee, she's saying nor-ma-ree.
And instead of saying colour, she's saying cur-er.
And the problem here is that she's putting her tongue in the wrong place.
So for the L, it needs to be right at the front, behind your teeth L, and then it's further back below your mouth.
For R R, L.
And really, depending on what language you speak, you probably make some similar type of mistake where your first language is interfering with your pronunciation.
Another typical example of this would be with indian students.
So instead of saying they will sometimes say so instead of you are welcome, they'll say you are welcome, and most countries have some example of a problem with an individual sound in the same way.
And were you taught art at school?
Were you taught art at school?
No, I'm not.
Okay, so this time it's clear that Ami did not understand the question.
And if this happens to you, there are two ways to deal with this.
You can ask the examiner to repeat the question, and you can do that as many times as you want.
That does not affect your score. or you can ask the examiner to explain a phrase in the question.
Not explain the question, but explain a phrase in the question.
So in this instance, Ami might have asked, what does art at school mean?
Who is your favourite artist?
My favourite artist is Yasuna, her name is Yasuna.
She is my friend, but she also do illustrator.
She drawing the people like cute cute, coloring like pink or blue, and So there are two things I noticed with this answer.
First of all, it's clear that Ami doesn't have a great range of vocabulary, but she does a great job of communicating as much as she can with the vocabulary that she does have.
And that's a very good strength.
So there will be times in your IELTS speaking test where you don't have the exact word that you need or the exact word that you want.
So you will need to find a way to continue communicating without that word.
And Ami is very good at this.
The other thing is that Ami tends to finish all of her answers by saying yes.
Now, the thing is, you don't need to announce that you're finished speaking.
And of course, there will be times where you wish your answers were longer.
But once you've said whatever you want to say, it's okay to just stop with a downward inflection at the end of the sentence and then stop wait, and the examiner will ask the next question.
So there's no need to say yes or I'm finished or anything like that, when you have finished your answer.
And have you ever visited an art gallery?
Yes, I visit the art gallery in Japan many times.
Normally, in Kyushu, I visit the Kagoshima Art Gallery for modern art.
And yes, yes.
Okay, so it's becoming quite apparent that Ami probably doesn't speak in English very often, and this shows in her fluency.
So there are quite long pauses in every single sentence and often between words.
So for this, she won't be getting a very high fluency score.
Okay, well now I'm going to ask you some questions about flowers.
How do you feel about flowers?
I feel... like a beautiful and pretty flower.
And do you have a favorite flower?
Yes, I have a favorite flower called Kimokse because the smell is very nice.
And when the Kimokse smells, feel like autumn coming.
Yeah, so I like Kim Ok-se.
So you may have noticed that amy uses very basic sentence structures and these tend to be inaccurate, so that is going to stop her from getting a higher grammar score.
But also you'll notice that the connectives she's using are very simple and repetitive.
So she uses, and pretty much every time she wants to add some extra information.
So, as well as this affecting the grammar score, this is part of the fluency and coherence score as well.
So, as well as the pauses and the hesitations that we already mentioned, these lack of range and connectives will also keep the fluency and coherence score down.
Do any flowers have a special meaning in your country?
Do any flowers have a special meaning in your country?
In my country, Japan, special meaning.
The sakura is cherry blossom.
It's very special in Japan because the spring has come.
The sakura makes people happy to go for picnic or lunch.
They call Hanami.
Hanami is really nice for Japanese people.
So you may have noticed that at times Ami's pronunciation is a little bit unclear.
So sometimes she just has the incorrect sound produced in a word and I still know what she's saying, but there are occasions where I genuinely have no idea what the word is.
And this of course is going to have a massive effect on her pronunciation score.
And in your opinion, do women like flowers more than men do?
Men do.
Again?
In your opinion, do women like flowers more than men do?
Oh, yeah.
In my opinion, yeah.
Women like flowers better than men because women feel like pretty or beautiful on flowers.
So, and for me also, I put the flowers in my house every time.
So, I taught Umus like flowers better than men.
Okay.
And now I'm going to ask you some questions about pets.
Pets.
Do you have a pet?
Yes, I have a cat.
Okay, so a lot of credit goes to Ami so far.
She's really used everything at her disposal, all of the vocabulary she can possibly use to communicate her ideas, as well as possible.
But in this answer, just stopping short after, yes, I have a cat is not enough.
No matter what the situation, you should at least try to explain or expand on your answer with one or two more sentences.
What are the most popular pets in your country?
Most popular is maybe a dog.
Yeah, I think.
Did you have a pet when you were younger?
Younger?
Yeah, I have a hamster.
Hamster.
Yeah, the small, like a larvae.
Oh, no.
Yeah, small hamster.
Why do people like to have pets?
Maybe people feel small, like family, or when people come back to the home, they're waiting for us.
So everyone likes to have a pet.
Okay, in the next part of the test, I'm going to give you a topic and I would like you to speak for one to two minutes.
You will have one minute to think about what you want to say and I'll give you a pen and some paper to make notes if you want.
Is that clear?
Yes.
So here's your paper and pen.
Please turn it over.
And you have one minute to prepare right, thank you.
Now i would like you to talk about reading.
Remember, you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if i stop here and i'll tell you when your time is up.
Can you start speaking now, please?
Now, I'm talking about the book.
I want to read it.
The book's title is Anpanman, the manga.
I know the Anpanman in television because Japanese, every children like the Anpanman.
I interested in Anpanman because I have a son.
I born him three months ago and every children likes to read Anpanman, so maybe he also interested in maybe three or six months ago.
I want to read again the Anpanman manga.
The Anpanman is the main character's name.
He always helps people become a hero.
The shape is circle, so the children are very interested in the circle face.
And then the Anpanman is the bread, one of the bread in Japan, Anpan.
When he helps people, When he helps people who are very hungry, he gives his face.
Lovely.
And that's the two minutes.
Okay, so Ami's done really well to stay going for a full two minutes here.
But what you might have noticed is at the beginning of her answer she started talking about this character called a pan man.
Now don't assume that the examiner or, in any situation, that the person you're speaking to will have the same knowledge as you.
So if there's any chance that the person in this case the examiner doesn't know who a pan man is, you should begin by explaining it is a cartoon, it is a tv character or whatever it is.
Or similarly, if you're talking about, let's say, your favorite football player or your favorite basketball player, your favorite hockey player, don't assume just because that person is very famous in your country that the examiner will know who that is.
So always set the context.
Make sure the examiner knows who the person is that you're talking about first.
Don't just assume that because they're famous in your mind that everybody knows who they are.
Where did you first see Ampanman?
When I was very young, like kindergarten, so I never remember the story contents clearly.
And it's very popular in Japan as well?
Yes, every adult and children also know the Ampanman.
I want to stay on the topic of books.
Do more people in your country read for pleasure more now than they did in the past?
Generally.
So all books.
Would you like the question again?
So do more people in your country read for pleasure now than they did in the past?
I don't think so, because the past, like my father or mother, more likes to read books.
So i don't think so.
And these days not so many people like books because these days have tv or netflix or youtube to have, have many contents to watch it.
So maybe the old past, past people, more read the books than now.
Okay.
So you might notice that David, the examiner, is making the questions just a little bit easier for Ami here.
And this is what to expect in the IELTS speaking part three, because of course, they're going to push you to your limits.
They're going to find out what you're capable of, but they're not going to ask you questions that are impossible and beyond your ability.
Okay.
And why do many people only read books when they're in bed?
In the bed?
Bedroom.
In the bed.
Why?
Why?
I think because many people read the books to going to sleep like more sleepy.
So reading books at night is more comfortable to sleep.
And will e-books ever replace paper books completely?
Will e-books ever replace paper books completely?
Ebooks, electronic books yes i think so, maybe not.
Maybe i don't think so.
Yeah, i don't don't think so.
Okay, because uh, ebooks is uh make me a bit headache because too bright to read it.
The paper books is more comfortable to read and then read it.
So again, a lot of credit to Ami that she's always able to explain her answers and expand her answers to some degree.
I've met a lot of IELTS candidates with far better language ability than Ami who will actually give up at this point and won't continue to extend their answers.
They'll feel disappointed in their part two or they'll start to feel upset.
So to be able to stay optimistic and to stay developing all your answers in part three is very, very important.
And Ami is doing a great job of this.
And in what way is reading a book better than watching a film?
There is more the reading the books can understand more detail than watching the film.
They have many feelings to tell for details.
Feeling and the situation also more easy to understand.
And how do you think people's taste in books has changed over the last 50 years?
One more.
How do you think people's taste in books has changed over the last 50 years?
Sorry, I don't have idea.
Okay, so quite obviously, Ami did not understand the phrase people's taste.
Now, David or any examiner will easily understand what the problem is, but they will not help you unless you ask.
And a lot of candidates don't realize this, that you can ask the meaning of a phrase.
So straight away, if this happens to you in your IELTS test, don't just sit there feeling confused and puzzled.
Jump in and say, what does people's taste mean?
You will get a definition and you will be able to answer.
Do you think they've changed much?
The things people liked 50 years ago compared to now?
Yes.
Yes.
How?
If you don't have anything, that's okay.
Okay.
All right.
Well, thank you.
That is the end of the practice IELTS speaking test.
So of course, it's time to decide on Ami's scores.
So for fluency she did a good job to continue, but there were simply too many pauses for a higher score than band four.
Then, in relation to vocabulary, she was able to communicate somewhat about every topic, but only very basic information could be communicated about what we would refer to as unfamiliar topics.
So anything beyond talking about herself.
So again, this would be a band 4 for vocabulary.
Grammar were very basic structures throughout the entire test and pretty much all of them had some kind of an error.
So it was very rare to have a basic structure with no error and this would mean a band 4 for grammar as well.
And finally, for pronunciation.
There were a lot of mispronunciations and a lot of times where it wasn't completely clear what she was saying.
So again a band 4 for pronunciation and overall band 4 for AMI in this test.
So thank you very much for watching.
Of course, make sure to like the video and subscribe to IELTS Daily if you haven't already.
My name is Lara Ryan from Complete Test Success.
Make sure to stay watching for future videos from IELTS Daily.
Hello and welcome to this practice exam conducted by IELTS Daily.
My name is David and I'm your practice speaking examiner.
The questions in this test are designed to simulate the IELTS speaking test.
So let's begin.
What's your first name, please?
My name is Ami.
At the beginning of the IELTS test, you usually need to provide some identification, like the passport.
But as this is a practice test, there's no need for that today.
Are you ready to begin?
Yes, I'm very.
Great.
All right, well, let's talk about art.
Art.
Are you good at drawing?
Yes, maybe.
Yes, I'm good at drawing.
Normally, I'm drawing by illustrator, my computer, drawing like many colors. or characters.
Yes.
And were you taught art at school?
Were you taught art at school?
No.
No, I'm not.
Okay.
Who is your favorite artist?
My favorite artist is Yasuna, her name is Yasuna.
She is my friend, but she also do illustrator.
She's drawing the people like cute, cute coloring, like pink or blue.
And And have you ever visited an art gallery?
Yes, I visit the art gallery in Japan many times.
Normally, in Kyushu, I visit the Kagoshima Art Gallery for modern art.
And yes, yes.
Okay, well now I'm going to ask you some questions about flowers.
How do you feel about flowers?
I feel like beautiful and pretty on flower.
And do you have a favorite flower?
Yes, I have favorite flower called Kimokse because the smell is very nice.
And when the Kimokusei smells, it feels like autumn is coming.
So I like Kimokusei.
Do any flowers have a special meaning in your country?
My country has a special meaning?
Do any flowers have a special meaning in your country?
In my country, Japan, special meaning.
The sakura is cherry blossom.
It's very special in Japan because the spring has come.
The sakura makes people happy to go for picnic or lunch.
They call Hanami.
Hanami is really nice for Japanese people.
And in your opinion, do women like flowers more than men do?
Men do.
Again?
In your opinion, do women like flowers more than men do?
Oh, yeah.
In my opinion, yeah.
Women like flowers better than men because women feel like pretty or beautiful. on flowers.
So, and for me also, I put the flowers in my house every time.
So, I taught Umus like flowers better than men.
Okay.
And now I'm going to ask you some questions about pets.
Pets.
Do you have a pet?
Yes, I have a cat.
Great.
What are the most popular pets in your country?
Most popular is maybe a dog.
Yeah, I think.
Did you have a pet when you were younger?
Younger?
Yeah, I have a hamster.
Hamster.
Yeah, the small like a larvae.
Oh, no.
Yeah, small hamster.
Why do people like to have pets?
Maybe people feel more like family.
When people come back to the home, they're waiting for us, so everyone likes to have a pet.
OK, in the next part of the test, I'm going to give you a topic and I would like you to speak for one to two minutes.
You will have one minute to think about what you want to say and I'll give you a pen and some paper to make notes if you want.
Is that clear?
Yes.
So here's your paper and pen.
Please turn it over.
And you have one minute to prepare.
All right, thank you.
Now I would like you to talk about reading.
Remember, you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you.
And I'll tell you when your time is up.
Can you start speaking now, please?
Okay.
I want to read.
Now I'm talking about the book.
I want to read it.
The book's title is Anpanman, the manga.
I know the Anpanman in television because Japanese, every children like the Anpanman.
I interested in Anpanman because I have a son.
I born him three months ago and every children likes to read Anpanman, so maybe he also interested in maybe three or six months ago.
I want to read again the Anpanman manga.
The Anpanman is the main character's name.
He always helps people become a hero.
The shape is circle, so the children are very interested in the circle face.
And then the Anpanman is the bread, one of the bread in Japan, Anpan.
When he helps people, When he helps people who are very hungry, he gives his face.
Lovely.
And that's the two minutes.
Where did you first see Ampanman?
When I was very young, like kindergarten, so I never remember the story contents clearly.
And it's very popular in Japan as well?
Yes, every adults and children also know the Anpanman.
I want to stay on the topic of books.
Do more people in your country read for pleasure more now than they did in the past?
Generally.
So all books.
Would you like the question again?
So do more people in your country read for pleasure now than they did in the past?
I don't think so because the past like my father or mother more likes to read books.
So I don't think so.
And these days not so many people like books?
Because these days have TV or Netflix or YouTube to have, have many contents to watch it.
So maybe the old past, past people more read the books than now.
Okay, and why do many people only read books when they're in bed, in the bed bedroom, in the bed Why?
Why?
I think because many people read the books to going to sleep, like more sleepy.
So reading books at night is more comfortable to sleep.
And will e-books ever replace paper books completely?
Will e-books ever replace paper books completely?
Electronic books.
Yes, I think so.
Maybe not.
Maybe I don't think so.
Yeah, I don't think so.
Because e-books make me a bit headache because it's too bright to read it.
The paper books are more comfortable to read.
And in what ways is reading a book better than watching a film?
There is more the reading.
The books can understand more detail, but then watching the film they have many feelings to tell for details, feeling and the situation also more easy to understand.
And how do you think people's taste in books has changed over the last 50 years?
One more question.
How do you think people's taste in books has changed over the last 50 years?
How?
The last 50 years...
Sorry, I don't have idea.
Do you think they've changed much?
The things people liked 50 years ago compared to now?
Yes, yes.
How?
How?
If you don't have anything, that's okay.
Okay.
All right.
Well, thank you.
That is the end of the practice IELTS speaking test.
